Quickstart Primer

Quickstart Primer

Jeff Barber — creator, writer Aileen Miles — graphic design

John Hay — editor, writer James Stowe — illustrator
Roderick Robertson — Editor Stewart Wieck —
­ publisher

T his is the quickstart primer for the Upwind rpg from Biohazard Games and Nocturnal Media
and is brought to you as a community-building stretch goal by the awesome backers of the
original Kickstarter campaign. This document introduces you to the setting and mechanics
and offers a ready-to-play adventure. Note that this is a radically simplified version of the Upwind
game. The full text of the core book provides numerous rules enhancements, explanations and ex-
amples and the setting is a vast and evocative realization of a strange and fantastical world.
Permission is granted to share and copy this document as long as there is no commercial use.

©2017 Biohazard Games. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is
expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for the blank character sheets, which may be repro-
duced for personal use only.The Q System is a trademark of Biohazard Games. All rights reserved. All characters,
names, places and text herein are copyright by Biohazard Games.
 CONTENTS
Upwind Quickstart Primer 3 The Kingdoms in the Light 17
The Basics 3 Arcanotechnology 18
The Q System 4 Arc 18
Decks and Hands 4 Telling Time 18
Characters 5 The Twilight Frontier 18
Calling Plays 5 Skyships 19
Challenge Level 6 Relics 20
Crowning 7 The Explorer Knights 20
Jokers 7 Bait and Switch 22
Ties 7 Background and Adventure Summary 22
Potential Plays 8 Introduction 22
Using Potential Outside Plays 8 Ruse Ruse Ruse Your Boat 23
Teamwork 8 Majestic Montage 24
Reshuffling 9 Crew, Sailors or Pirates... Oh My! 24
Discarding and Redrawing 9 Baiting the Trap 26
Caches 9 Foreshadowing 27
Optional Caches 10 Endless Skies 27
Assigning Caches 11 Are You My Mommy? 27
Moderator Caches 11 Past Glories 29
Wounds and Injury 12 What’s this rumor about shares? 29
Healing 13 Plan? There Ain’t No Plan 30
Weaving Outcomes into Narratives 14 Into to the Frontier 31
The Light and the Dark 15 The Enemy of My Enemy 33
The Masters of the Wind 15 The Dread Pirate’s Lair 33
The DownFall 15 Dread Pirate Who? 34
The Kin 15 What’s Next? 35
A Primer on the Upwind Setting 15 GTFO 35
The Children of the Dark 16 Aftermath 37
Potential 16
 UPWIND
QUICKSTART
PRIMER
I magine Bakshi’s classic animated film Wizards had a head-on collision with Disney’s
Treasure Planet and the resulting fire was put out with a whole lot of Studio Ghibli’s
Castle in the Sky. That, in an animated mash-up, is Upwind.

THE BASICS
The Setting elemental powers. Duty-bound to the Guild,

U
they lead missions across dangerous skies and
pwind presents a fantastical setting expeditions into the uncharted Dark. Upwind
where the remains of a broken world has a strong maritime theme with Wind-pow-
drift through a sky divided into the Dark ered skyships serving as the backbones of trade
and the Light.The Kin, the people of the Kingdoms and defense, while exploration, mystery, intrigue
in the Light, inhabit these floating islands while and war form the backdrop of the narrative.The
the Children of the Dark dwell far below where Age of the Grand Amplifier is said to be draw-
the Light does not reach. The Wind is a power- ing to a close, the Children of the Dark threat-
ful, supernatural force energizing the machines of en from below, and the Kin misunderstand the
the Kin and charging the elemental Potential they truth about both.
all wield. Lost technology is the currency of the
Kingdoms, scavenged from the remnants of the The Mechanics
Masters of the Wind — a culture destroyed long Upwind uses an original game system called
ago in the great cataclysm known as the DownFall. Q. Unlike most systems Q does not shape the
The young civilization of the Kin has been reborn narrative by resolving character actions one
and struggles both with itself and the Children of at a time. Instead Q works through a sort of
the Dark as it strives to recover. quantum mechanic, determining detailed out-

The Characters comes that resolve entire encounters. Poten-

tial outcomes are negotiated cooperatively and
Upwind campaigns feature the Knights of the proposed as stakes for which the participants
Explorers’ Guild — storied, skyfaring explorers, bid using hands of playing cards. The narrative is
scholars, engineers, elementalists and soldiers then tailored to the winning outcome, and the
who search the Twilight Frontier for lost Mas- story progresses in a quantum rather than in-
ters’ caches. The player characters are Explorer cremental way. As a result, Upwind plays as fast
Knights, individuals with exceptional skills and as you can tell your story.

The Basics
What You Need • Printouts of the pregenerated characters, a
different one for each player.
to Play: • This document —­ particularly the adventure
• 3 to 6 enthusiastic friends, one of whom is outline at the end — for the moderator’s
willing to learn these rules and run the game. reference.
• A deck of standard playing cards for each par- • 2–4 hours to play.
ticipant.

THE Q SYSTEM
U pwind uses an original game system
called Q. Like most game mechanics
it provides a framework of objectivity
and chance that helps guide and drive the game’s
story by determining singular outcomes for en-
damaged.The ship is losing altitude fast and is about
to crash into a downwind highland. Rowan, a young
Knight, grabs the helm and shouts through the speak-
ing tube for the engineer to give him full power.
The moderator calls for a play and asks the play-
tire encounters. Q resolves encounters through er to suggest the stakes for which he would like to
a sort of quantum mechanic, determining which bid.The player says he wants Rowan to save the ship
of a pair of potential outcomes for a given sit- and crew and in doing so win the lasting admiration
uation will be used to continue the adventure of his Liegemen and earn a new Blaze of Rank from
narrative. These potential outcomes are deter- his superiors. The moderator agrees to those stakes
mined by cooperative negotiation between the and says that should he lose, the ship will crash and
game moderator and the players and proposed a full third of the crewmen will die. He also says that
as stakes for which the participants bid using his superiors will still award him the new Blaze for
hands of playing cards. his heroic actions, but that Rowan will feel so guilty
Example about the loss of life that he has trouble taking any
The EGS Vigilant has been hit by cannon fire from risks with his crew in the future.
a Child frigate and its induction hull has been badly

DECKS AND HANDS

Q uses the value of cards as a source of
points that are spent in blind bids for
the proposed outcomes.
Each participant needs her own full deck of
slightly larger play hand, note that the odds are
ultimately still in the players’ favor as they have
10 cards with their play and Potential hands com-
bined, as well as access to teamwork cards (see
Teamwork) from other characters. The modera-
standard playing cards. She keeps one Joker and
sets the other aside, unused. She must then sep- tor keeps one joker in his play deck if there are
arate out the suit that represents her character’s three or fewer players in the game and two jok-
elemental Potential (see Characters), shuffles ers if there are 4 or more.
those cards and set them aside as her Potential Cards are spent from the participants’ hands
deck. She then shuffles the other three suits — into their respective discard piles. Play hand
plus the joker — into a stack called the play deck. cards are replenished from play decks after ev-
She should then draw 6 cards from the play deck ery play. Potential hands replenish from Poten-
to form her play hand and 4 cards from her Po- tial decks but at the rate of one card per bell of
tential deck to form her Potential hand. in-game time — or a whole hand every clock.
The game moderator must also prep his deck, When a participant takes the last card from ei-
but does not separate suits. He simply ther his play or potential draw deck, the discard
shuffles all his cards together and pile for that deck and whatever cards remain in
draws a play hand of 8 cards. that hand are immediately combined and reshuf-
Though the moderator has a fled and a new hand drawn.

Upwind Quickstart Primer

 As a general rule, players should not share the core mechanic they should also keep their cards
content of their decks with other players, and secret from the moderator.
to maintain some of the tactical elements of the

CHARACTERS
C haracters have three sets of attributes
— abilities, skills and Potential. For a
starting character, each set contains
three descriptive elements, each of which is as-
signed a relative value and a card suit. Abilities
Creative invention and interpretation of attri-
butes is one of the most entertaining aspects of
playing Upwind and part of the job of the play-
ers is to stretch their applicability as far as they
can. Applying attributes in diverse, clever or even
represent natural, innate character prowess and sneaky ways is an intentional part of the mechan-
aptitudes. Skills represent areas of knowledge ics and is intended to promote gamesmanship in
and physical proficiency in which the character the interactions between the participants.
has specific education, training and practice. Po-
tential represents the variety of unique elemen- Attributes and Suits
tal magic wielded by the Kin and most powerful- Each of a character’s attributes are associated
ly by the Explorer Knights. with a specific suit of cards. Their Potential abil-
Attributes in Upwind are narrative and unique ities all share a single suit, based on their char-
to each character. These descriptive attributes acter’s elemental affinity — diamonds represent
provide more specific information about who the Ore, clubs represent Arc, hearts represent Rain
character is, and makes them more versatile and and spades represent Wind.
effective in play. Having a skill defined by just the The three remaining, non-Potential, suits must
word “Swordsman” makes it clear that a charac- be linked to abilities and skills. It is up to the play-
ter can defend himself with a blade and is a good er which suits are assigned to which attributes,
fighter. However, “Finest Swordsman in All the but it is recommended that the three suits be
Guild” not only indicates great ability, but it also distributed optimally to maximize the chances
implies a level of fame and reputation that would of having applicable cards for each attribute.
allow the character to use the skill in non-combat
Whenever a play is called, the participants ne-
encounters as well — in circumstances involving
gotiate the stakes and then make bids. The num-
intimidation, cooperation and persuasion or pos-
ber of cards each of the participants has can bid
sibly even negotiation, diplomacy or seduction,
in a play ranges from one to three, limited by the
depending on the specific type of interaction.
level (1, 2 or 3) of the character attribute he is
using to resolve the encounter.

CALLING PLAYS
T he core mechanic of the Q-System is
the play. Plays are usually called by the
game moderator, but players are en-
couraged to request plays too. Since plays are
used to resolve whole encounters they are not
tential outcomes are interesting, dramatic or
significant, a play is worthwhile.

Setting Up a Play
Because the scope of a play is so broad, and be-
made as frequently as the die rolls of incremen- cause they resolve stakes in play, it’s important
tal game systems. Though plays can be made to use them when they are dramatically appro-
anytime, controlling the timing and set-up sig- priate for the narrative. Moderators should let
nificantly enhances the drama of plays and the the players roleplay part way through an en-
quality of the storytelling. Plays should usually counter — an interaction with pirate captain,
only be called when the possible outcomes are infiltration of an enemy stronghold
significant, the results of success or failure could or even a fight with a creature
be dramatic, or would have meaningful impact of the Dark; then ask for the
on the story. A good rule of thumb is if the po- play.
5

Calling Plays
 Moderators should refrain from asking play- blind bids for proposed outcomes. Whenever
ers to use a specific attribute during the reso- a play is called, the participants negotiate the
lution of encounters — the equivalent of ask- stakes and then make bids. The number of cards
ing for a stealth roll, a bluff check or an attack each of the participants can bid in a play ranges
test. Encounters should be presented in ways from one to three, limited by the level (1, 2 or 3)
that the players can decide how they want their of the character attribute he is using to resolve
characters to handle them based on the cards in the encounter.
their hands and how well they can justify partic- Bid size can also be limited by the number of
ular interpretations of the attributes they want cards of a given suit that a player has available.
to use. Because each skill and attribute is assigned a
Players may only choose one attribute with specific suit, the cards used during the play must
which to resolve an encounter. It does not have match the suit linked to the attribute being used.
to apply to all the elements of the situation or If the player does not have as many cards of a
the proposed outcomes of the play, but it should given suit as he does ranks in the linked attri-
fit in a meaningful way. Even when more than one bute, he can only play as many cards as he has.
attribute can be used in the given circumstances Example
the mechanics only allow for one at a time, so
players should choose what fits best narratively Miram is trying to subdue a guard without alerting
or for which they have the best cards. The mod- the rest of the enemy crew. She has “Like a Blade in
erator has final determination about the suit- the Dark” at 3 and it is linked to spades. Unfortunately,
ability of any attribute for a given play. her play hand has only 2 spades — a 6 and a queen.
Unless she can play a cache or convince the modera-
Bidding tor how wisdom, compassion or nurturing reason could
help her silence a guard so she can use a crowning
Q’s core mechanic is based on the moderator
card, her score will be a 16 if she uses that attribute.
and players using hands of playing cards to make

CHALLENGE LEVEL
T he number of cards the game moderator
bids is based on the difficulty level he as-
signs to the encounter — easy (1), medi-
um (2), hard (3). As with player bids, all cards bid
by the moderator in a given play must be of the
plays — see below. Jokers have no point value
but automatically win plays in which they are bid.
Example
Domnall is trying to force open a locked hatch on a
same suit. This is an essential balancing mechanic burning ship to free those trapped inside. He has the
that compliments the players’ suit limits. attribute “Strong as an Ox” at level 2 and it’s linked to
diamonds.The player has the 4, 7 and 10 of diamonds
When making a bid, the participants consider in his play hand and the moderator states that the
the contents of their hands — looking at the difficulty level is “easy” so he will only play one card.
values they have in each suit and how effective
these will let them be in using specific character Knowing the moderator can only play the one card
attributes. Once the participants have selected the player knows he cannot be beaten unless the
their cards they play them simultaneously, face moderator includes a crowning or cache card or plays
up. The hand with the highest point total wins, a joker.The player takes a chance that the moderator
determining which of the two proposed out- will not spend higher cards on this minor encounter
comes is incorporated into the story. and saves the 10, and his own cache cards, for later.
He bids the 4 and the 7 for a total of 11.
The point values of each number card equal
the number on that card. Face cards — jacks, The moderator’s highest single card is a jack, but
queens and kings — and aces all have a value since he cannot justify crowing the jack in this en-
of 10 points in any play. These are counter he decides to save it for a subsequent play.
exceptionally powerful cards Instead he plays an 8 of clubs and opts to use one
however, in that face cards and of his plot cache cards which turns out to be a 2 for
aces can be used to crown a total of 10.The player wins.
6

Upwind Quickstart Primer

 CROWNING
F ace cards and aces are each worth 10
points when played in a bid. Additionally,
they are uniquely powerful cards under the
right circumstances and can be used to “crown”
plays.When a face card or ace included in a play is
• Kings may crown plays involving combat,
strategy, leadership, diplomacy, nobility, nego-
tiation, or similar contexts involving forceful
authority.
• Aces may be used to crown any play at any
used to crown that play, the crowning participant time for any reason — making them singular-
draws a single random card from his draw deck ly powerful cards.
and adds its value to his bid. The randomly drawn
“crowning” card is considered “suitless” and sim- To qualify for crowning, the face card must
ply provides additional points for the bid. be bid as part of the original play. Cards added
to a play from caches or for teamwork may not
Face cards may be used to crown plays only be crowned.
under card specific narrative circumstances as
determined by the actions and intent of the Plays may only be crowned once, regardless
characters. of how many applicable face cards may be part
of the play. Players are encouraged to stretch
• Jacks may only be used to crown plays involv- the interpretation and applicability of crowning,
ing trickery, deception, subterfuge, thievery or but the game moderator has final discretion
similar underhanded and nefarious intentions. over whether a potential crowning card applies
• Queens may only be used to crown plays in- to a given play.
volving wisdom, healing, charisma, compassion,
love or similar wise or nurturing circumstances.

JOKERS
J okers are powerful cards in Q, rep-
resenting consummate skill, ability or
uniquely potent luck. When a joker is bid
or played as a crowning or cache card, whoever
bid the card automatically wins the play, regard-
If a joker is pulled to crown, serve as a cache
card, or as a tie breaker during a play, it has the
same effect as if it were played in the original
bid — that hand wins automatically, and then
the joker dies.
less of any other cards played. Jokers are con- After a joker is played as part of a bid, all
sidered “suitless” and may be played for any at- participants in the game must immediately dis-
tribute, including Potential powers. Jokers “die” card their current play hands, shuffle their play
after use — the participant who played his joker discards into their play decks and redraw. The
must remove it from his deck for the remainder intention of this rule is to provide players the oc-
of the session. casional chance to flush bad hands and to provide
suspenseful limits on hoarding good cards.

TIES
I f a tie bid occurs during a play the partici-
pants must escalate the stakes by negotiating
additional elements into the two potential
outcomes.Then, after agreeing to the new stakes,
each participant may add one additional card of
participants can play a card, they all draw random
“suitless” cards from their play decks as if crown-
ing, add them to their bids, and the highest score
wins. If by chance there are subsequent ties then
the process should be repeated, with the stakes
the appropriate suit from her hand to her bid and rising further and additional tie breaking cards
the new high score wins. If only one of the par- being added or drawn until a winner
ticipants can play a card from the appropriate suit is determined.
she automatically wins the stakes. If none of the

Ties
 Example The player and moderator make bids and tie at
The player wants Lajos to successfully impersonate 22 points apiece.The player adds the capture of the
a Loftian noble and replace the real navigational smuggler chieftain to his stakes and the moderator
chart with a counterfeit version, without the switch adds that the smugglers will also take the Loftian
being discovered until the smugglers have delivered noble’s daughter hostage.
their cargo to the crew waiting to spring an ambush. They each simultaneously add one additional
The moderator says if the player loses the smugglers card from their hands to their bids. The player add-
will see through the subterfuge and disappear with ed a 4 for a total of 26 and the moderator added
the cargo. a 9 for a total of 31. Not only do the Knights now
have to find the smugglers all over again, they have
to rescue the Loftian girl as well.

POTENTIAL PLAYS
T he Potential deck represents the source
of a character’s elemental power and is
restricted to the suit that symbolizes
the single cardinal element with which the char-
acter has affinity.
When a player uses his Potential as part of
a play, he must power the play exclusively with
cards from his Potential deck. Playing a joker is
the only exception to this rule (see Jokers).

USING POTENTIAL
OUTSIDE PLAYS
C ards are spent from the Potential hand
whenever a character uses magic. If a
character uses Potential as part of the
narrative — in a story circumstance that does
not merit a play — the player must power that
represents the successful use of Potential, the
numerical value of the card determines the
narrative potency and relative effectiveness of
the character’s magic. Using potential is difficult
and even experienced users do not always have
use by randomly discarding a single card from precise control over the level of power and ulti-
his Potential hand. Though playing such a card mate effects of their magic.

TEAMWORK
I f one or more characters can meaningfully
combine their attributes in the resolution
of an encounter they can choose to use
teamwork — representing the practiced coor-
dination of abilities, skills and Potential. When
most of their lives — and simply requires a little
creative description to be successful.
Helping characters may each provide one
card for a given play, but that card may only be
a 2 or a 3, and of the suit assigned to the ability,
using teamwork one character must act as the skill or Potential each is using to help.The values
primary and any helpers as secondaries, and all of any cards played as teamwork are added to
participants must justify to the satisfaction of the total score for the primary player’s bid, just
the moderator how one of their characters’ at- like crowning or cache cards. Secondary help-
tributes are contributing to the collective effort. ers may not crown or contribute cache cards to
This kind of cooperation is second nature to teamwork plays.
Knights — how they have lived and trained for

Upwind Quickstart Primer

 RESHUFFLING
W hen a participant reaches the end
of her Play or Potential deck, she
must reshuffle and redraw the giv-
en hand.The reshuffle occurs when the last card
is drawn; any cards still in her hand are immedi-
ately shuffled into the discard deck and an en-
tirely new hand is drawn.

DISCARDING
AND REDRAWING
T here are times during play when play-
ers must discard cards to reduce their
hand size — most commonly to simu-
late wounds
designated number of discards from their hands
and place them in their respective discard piles.
As characters heal they should draw cards from
their respective decks and add them to their
hands.
When players must discard one or more
cards for injury they should randomly select the

CACHES
C aches — as in a stashed supply — are
bonus cards that can be added to bids
to increase the scores for given plays
and are mechanically similar to crowning. Caches
represent advantage, motivation, inspiration and
the raging weather, Evengi puts everything he’s got
into the effort and the player puts everything into
the play — including his Knights’ cache. He draws
the cache card from his play deck and gets a 7,
bumping his play score from a 24 to a 31.
knowledge provided by character experience, There are two general types of caches —
valuable equipment, special training, powerful innate and story. Innate caches are most often
allies or other unique narrative circumstances. associated with special objects or powerful peo-
Cache cards must be committed to a given ple. They are usually permanent and perpetually
play before the bids are revealed. Only a single available to those using the given item or playing
cache may be added to a given play, even if the the specific character. Innate caches are replen-
acting player has several caches that apply to the ished at the start of every session.
situation. Plays in which cache cards are used Story caches are temporary and are usually
may also be crowned as normal, but cache cards associated with unique circumstances, limited ef-
themselves are never crowned. fects, or one-off events.They may be may be avail-
Cache cards can be used on any play, whether able to individuals or to a group of characters as
it be abilities, skills, or Potential. Regardless of a shared pool. When cards are used from a story
the ability used, cache cards are always drawn cache, they do not refresh.
from the play deck, never from the Potential Every cache has a trigger — the circumstanc-
deck. Like crowning cards, cache cards are con- es around a play that allow a player to use a card
sidered “suitless” when used. from a given cache. Triggers are specific circum-
Example stances, activities or events that should be clear-
Every Explorer Knight has a 1-card Knights’ cache for ly defined by the moderator when a given cache
the achievement, pride and authority of being a Knight, is assigned to an object or awarded to a party.
and this cache can be used in any circumstance. Example
Evengi is at the helm during a Potential storm. He • Appropriate in-game use of the particular item
has the skill “Born to Fly” at 3 and the player has such as a relic or experimental
the 5, 9 and 10 of the appropriate suit in his hand. device with which the cache is
Desperate to see the ship and crew safely through associated.
9

Caches
• Fighting a specific type of foe or individual — like character is separated from his Knights’ blade
pirates, sky dragons, Children of the Dark or a per- for any reason, not only physically but, more im-
sonal nemesis — to which the cache was assigned. portantly, psychologically, he loses his Knights’
• Direct actions taken in service to a specific per- cache and may not replenish it until his blade is
son, group or cause for which the cache was orig- recovered or replaced.
inally granted.
• Specific environmental conditions unique to the
Lineage Cache
This cache models a character’s natural facility
cache such as traveling in the Dark, being lost in
with specific types of Potential based on her lin-
the sky or avoiding hunting predators.
eage. This cache may only be used in plays using
• Actions taken in pursuit of a specified the goal, Potential attributes.
target or mission related to the cache.

Character Caches Culture Cache

Culture caches are innate caches available to
Player characters start play with four innate player characters of specific national back-
caches — Knights’, lineage, culture and talent. grounds. The nature of and triggers for these
These caches allow additional characterization caches differ based on the Kin’s nation of origin.
and contribute to the prowess for which mem-
bers of the Guild are famous. Talent Cache
Knights’ Cache Every player can create a talent cache during
character generation. These caches are intend-
The unique power of the Knights’ cache is that ed to emphasize standout aspects of character
it does not require a specific triggering circum- backgrounds, personalities or specialties.
stance and so may be used in any play. If a Knight

OPTIONAL CACHES
M oderators and players are encour-
aged to work together to create
additional, optional caches as part of
ongoing play as fits their stories, interests and
play styles. The following examples describe
Narrative Caches
Narrative caches are assigned by the moderator
when events in the current adventure provide
valuable advantage or information to the char-
most options: acters. Moderators can award narrative caches
at any time, but they are typically built into the
Equipment Caches outcomes associated with plays — as part of the
Equipment caches are innate caches assigned to players’ or moderator’s stakes. Narrative caches
equipment and are triggered when characters use are usually story caches but could be innate un-
those items in a play. Such caches are most com- der the right circumstances.
monly assigned to Relics or other similarly unique Example
arcanoelectrical devices and so usually only avail- The characters have been assigned a mission to de-
able to characters who use these artifacts. liver a diplomat to the mysterious and isolationist
Example Cloud Principality and to provide whatever assis-
Izak has a bundle of uniquely fine tools for use in tance she requires during her negotiations. In an ef-
delicate arcanoelectrical repairs. The tools give him fort to prepare for the trip, Lujza spends time in the
a 1-card innate cache that can be used whenever Scholar’s Library reading up on Cloud. For her effort
the play involves fixing, modifying or building com- the moderator awards her a 1-card cache that her
plex machines or devices. player can use when a future play involves an aspect
of Cloud culture.

10

Upwind Quickstart Primer

 ASSIGNING CACHES
I nnate caches should not exceed 3 cards,
with 1 or 2 being the most common sizes.
Story caches generally do not replenish so
may be as large as 5 cards for exceptional cir-
cumstances or longer campaigns with 1 to 3
Example
• An experimental firearm undergoing field trials
grants an inherent 2-card cache triggered when
the weapon is used. The cache replenishes only
when a bell is spent carefully dismantling, clean-
cards being most common. ing, reassembling and then calibrating the gun.
Moderators should assign caches whenever • A lucky charm handed down from a doting
doing so will enhance the narrative, but they grandmother grants an inherent 1-card cache to
should remember that every cache awarded any circumstance where absolute chance plays a
will increase the chance players will win a given role. The cache replenishes only when the char-
play. If the players get too many caches the story acter writes a letter home to his nana and then
will lose its sense of challenge, so moderators sleeps with the charm under his pillow.
should balance cache number and size against
metagame values such as the number of players, • An old and dear instructor from their Academy days
the frequency of plays, how difficult they want is murdered when a thief steals a rare book from his
the adventure to appear and how often they personal library. The party’s collective anger grants
want the players to win. them a shared, narrative cache of 4 cards that can
be used in any way directly related to the pursuit of
the criminal.The cache expires when the cards run
out or when the murderer is brought to justice.

MODERATOR CACHES
L ike players, moderators have a selection
of caches they can add to their plays.
Unlike player caches, moderator caches
are assigned to various aspects of game play and
triggered not by specific circumstances but by
These caches are usually tapped whenever the
unique behavior, tactics or objectives of the op-
position are central to the play.

Plot Cache
the rules of good storytelling. This means that Plot caches are assigned to the narrative itself
if the moderator believes the drama, tension or and are used when the moderator thinks added
excitement should be higher during a play, or if drama, excitement or challenge would make the
by winning the stakes the story would go in a story better. Like a player’s Knights’ cache, moder-
more interesting direction, he is encouraged to ators can use Plot caches whenever they choose.
trigger the associated cache. Moderator caches
The size of each moderator’s cache depends
replenish at the start of every game session.
on the number of players in the given session.
Setting Cache 1–3 players = 1 card per cache
Setting caches allow the moderator to empha- 4–6 players = 2 cards per cache
size particular aspects of the unique setting of 7+ players = 3 cards per cache
Upwind — the strange geography, natural haz-
ards, inherent dangers and the abundant myster- If asked, moderators must tell players how
ies. Moderators usually play cards from setting many cards remain in their caches, and like play-
caches whenever the nature of the environment ers, moderators may only use a single cache
itself is important to the play being made. card in a given play.

Opposition Cache Challenge Cache

Opposition caches are assigned to the various The moderator may also assign
opponents the characters encounter during play caches that represent excep-
— pirates, creatures or Children of the Dark. tionally difficult or demanding
11

Moderator Caches
circumstances — particularly dangerous mis- Challenge caches are typically story caches
sions, exceptionally skilled or clever foes, unre- that do not refresh, and are usually assigned as
liable ships, mutinous crews or pieces of worn narrative elements or as part of the stakes for
out and malfunctioning equipment. The moder- a play. Challenge cards represent a clear threat
ator must assign challenge caches specific trig- hanging over the player, and so can color the op-
gers that define how and when the cache can be tions and influence the actions of the players in
added to a relevant play. interesting ways leading up to related plays.

WOUNDS AND INJURY

T he rules for resolving dangerous en-
counters in which characters might be
hurt — like sword fights, falling down
stairs, animal attack or poisoned wine — are the
same as for resolving any other kind of encoun-
injuries result in deep cuts, punctures or gouges,
concussions, broken limbs or internal bleeding.
They are usually the consequence of falls, animal
attacks, shipwrecks and combat.

ter in the Q system, with one exception. When Mortal Injury

players make plays for which there is a risk of These are life threatening injuries where death
character injury, part of the moderator’s stakes is possible and lifelong physical consequences are
should include a wound draw for that character. likely.When a character takes a major wound, the
Character wounds are simulated by reduc- player draws 1 card from his play deck and as-
ing the size of the injured character’s play hand signs the character that card’s full numerical value
by a number of cards equal to the number of in wounds. If the number is greater than six the
wounds the character took. Smaller hands re- character is killed outright.
duce character effectiveness, modeling the ef-
fects of injury — pain, shock, mental confusion Wound Draws
and physical incapacitation. The size of the re- The results of wound draws are “suitless” and
duction depends on the severity of the wound. always rounded down so the range of possible
There are three severities of wound draws wound penalty cards is 0 to 3 cards for minor
and the level of injury to be included as part of wounds, 1 to 5 for major wounds and 2 to 10
a given play should be negotiated by the partici- for mortal wounds.
pants and assigned as part of the stakes.
Face Cards and Wounds
Minor Injury If a face card is pulled in any level of wound
When a minor injury is part of a winning out- draw, rather than count it as 10 the character
come, the player draws 1 card from his play suffers the card-specific effect and number of
deck, divides its numerical value by 3 and his wounds as listed below. If the result is inappro-
character suffers that number of wounds. Such priate to the cause of the damage, moderators
injuries usually result in scrapes, cuts, bruis- should assign a more fitting incapacitation:
es and broken noses, fingers or ribs. They are • Jacks indicate a broken or otherwise incapac-
typically the consequences of brawling, clumsy itated arm and a 1-card penalty.
accidents or being thrown around the deck of a
• Queens indicate a broken or otherwise inca-
storm-tossed ship.
pacitated leg and a 2-card penalty.
Major Injury • Kings indicate injuries to the torso, including
broken ribs and internal damage and a 3-card
When winning stakes include a major injury,
penalty.
the player draws 1 card from his play deck, di-
vides its numerical value by 2 and his character • Aces indicate a head injury and unconscious-
takes that number of wounds. These ness, and a 4-card penalty.

12

Upwind Quickstart Primer

• Jokers indicate that the character somehow rounded down, meaning that Uryx is badly hurt and
miraculously avoided being wounded in any the player must discard 4 cards from his play hand.
way, making it through the encounter without Until Uryx heals, his player is restricted to a 2-card
a scratch. Jokers pulled as wound draws do play hand.
not die and are recycled into a player’s dis- If a player ever loses enough cards that his
card pile. play hand effectively drops to zero, his charac-
Characters are expected to roleplay any ter is rendered unconscious by his injuries. If
wound effects as part of the integration of injury his effective hand ever drops below zero his
stakes into the narrative, screaming, groaning in character is killed. The effects of wound draws
pain, limiting their actions, and seeking appropri- are cumulative so that characters who are still
ate medical care. Lasting consequences of char- suffering from previous injuries may die from
acter injury — a gruesome scar, pronounced even minor wounds. If other potentially lethal
limp, severed limb, blinded eye, recurring night- game or narrative effects cause a player to lose
mares — should be negotiated as part of the additional cards from his hand, the effects are
original stakes that include the injury. the same as for injury. For example, if a mor-
When assigned a wound draw the player tak- tally wounded character with only one card in
ing the injury must randomly discard a number the player’s hand enters the Twilight Frontier
of cards from his play hand equal to the calcu- without proper equipment, the harsh conditions
lated value of that draw.The player must use the would drop him to 0 cards and unconsciousness.
new, smaller hand size for all his plays until his
character heals.
Wounds and
Example Potential Hands
Uryx is in a vicious sword fight with a band of Chil- A player may never have more cards in his
dren of the Dark boarders who are assaulting his Potential hand than he has in his play hand as
ship, and the player knows it could go badly when wounds reduce the ability of his character to
the moderator includes a major injury as part of control Potential. Accordingly, when a charac-
the counter stakes. Uryx’s player loses the bid and ter is injured and loses 3 or more cards from
in addition the other stakes, his character must suf- his play hand, the player must discard from his
fer an injury. The player draws a card and pulls a Potential hand as well. As the character subse-
9. Major injury card values are divided by 2 and quently heals, the player may draw up his Poten-
tial hand as his play hand increases.

HEALING
C haracters heal naturally at a rate of 1
card for every three clocks of in-game
time; that is, For every three clocks
that pass, the playercan restore 1 card to his
play hand up to the healthy maximum of 6 cards.
for every two clocks. No plays are required to gain
this benefit from healing skills.
Healing skill plays can be made for battlefield
first aid, conducting research or experiments, sav-
ing limbs, attaching arcanoelectrical prosthetics, at-
If a character receives skilled medical care tending to a birth, running a hospital or other such
at the time of his injury, he may heal 1 card for challenging, medical circumstances.
every face card the healer is willing to discard Magical healing requires the abilities of a char-
from his play hand. Face cards drawn to replen- acter with some form of healing Rain Potential,
ish those spent for healing may not be used for and will immediately restore one play hand card
healing those same injuries. for every Potential hand card spent to power the
Thereafter, if he recuperates under medical care, healer’s magic. Magical healing may be used more
the injured character heals at the rate of one card than once on the same character for the
same injuries.

13

Healing
WEAVING
OUTCOMES
INTO
NARRATIVES
O nce the outcome of a play has
been determined, the moder-
ator — with the help of the
players — must integrate the events
of the winning stakes into the ongo-
ing narrative. This is usually as simple
as describing how the stakes play
out, using as much detail and flair
as fits a given gaming group’s style
of play. The intention is to tie the
outcome seamlessly onto the
thread of what has happened
before while simultaneously
setting up whatever might hap-
pen next — the next event, en-
counter, or character interac-
tion. This description-focused
resolution allows for fluid pac-
ing and dynamic storytelling.

14
 A PRIMER ON
THE UPWIND
SETTING
THE LIGHT AND THE DARK
T he Light and the Dark are the borders
of existence. The Light shines from
above, a bright, sourceless glow that
never fades.The Light fills the sky and is the des-
tination towards which the Wind always flows.
The space between, the skies of Upwind, hold
the highlands, the drifting debris of an ancient,
broken world. These stony islands drift slowly
across the sky, buoyed on the elemental power
of the Wind, casting their vast shadows over the
The Dark is the void below, a shadowed and dim darkened realms below.
realm up from which the wind forever blows.

THE MASTERS OF THE WIND

“ The Masters of the Wind” is an tradi-
tional title given to the lost culture from
the remains of which Kin civilization and
technology are derived. The Masters were great
scientists and ingenious engineers. Myths claim
that they held dominion over all nature and
that nothing was beyond their power. There are
as many tales about the Masters as there are
mysteries, but there is no doubt that they had
fantastic technologies.

THE DOWNFALL
N o one knows how the world of the
Masters came to an end. Historians
have little to go on, and Guild archeol-
ogists argue over contradictory evidence. What
is widely believed is that unknown cycles ago a
ed in apocalyptic disaster.This event is called the
Great Catastrophe by some, The Cataclysm or
The Wrath of the Wind by others, while some
cultures refuse to name it at all out of old su-
perstition. The Guild histories simply refer to it
great catastrophe befell the Masters — that de- as the DownFall.
spite their wondrous science all they were end-

THE KIN
T he Kin are the citizens of the Kingdoms in
the Light. Though the isolating geography
of their strange world has led to the devel-
opment of many races and unique cultures, all Kin
carry clear heritage from their original ancestral
narrow eyes, high cheeks, small noses and narrow
jaws. Their ears are wide, pointed and alert and
their hair is thick and heavy. Their arms and legs
are long with strong, four-fingered hands and nar-
row feet bearing four, almost-prehensile toes. Skin,
lineages. They are generally lean creatures, though hair and eye color vary widely with
those with Stone ancestry can be truly massive. the differences marking an indi-
Their faces are open and protracted, with bright, vidual’s ancestry.
15

The Kin
 There is still much scholarly debate between archaeologists and
historians regarding the origin of the Kin. Though much of this de-
bate focuses on the mysteries of their ultimate genesis, there
is general agreement that modern Kin arose from four original
lineages that survived the DownFall. Scholars give them vari-
ous names which archaeological evidence perhaps inevita-
bly links to the four elements — the Spark, the Torrent,
the Stone and the Gale being the best translations.

THE CHILDREN
OF THE DARK
T he Children are the denizens of the Dark
and the long-standing enemies of the Kin.
There is little evidence of them from the
time of the Masters and so most historians believe
that, like the Kin, they were born of the same ca-
tastrophe that destroyed the old world. The King-
doms are rife with legends however, even though
encounters with the Children have been rare since
their sudden withdraw at the end of the Second
Incursion. Frighteningly, skirmishes with the Child
patrols have increased and Guild leadership is con-
cerned that a Third Incursion may be imminent.
Little is known about the Children. They are Kin-
like in form, but only the maddest scholars believe
they bear any actual relationship to the Kin. Chil-
dren are uniformly tall, pale and gaunt, with wide,
dark eyes that are extremely sensitive to light. They
are fast, agile creatures, with lean frames that belie
their considerable strength, and their warriors are
ferocious fighters.They typically wear heavy, fur-lined
leathers reinforced with intricately worked armor
plates and are armed with large swords, lethal pow-
der guns and crude arcanoelectrical weapons.

POTENTIAL
T he skies of the Realms seethe with raw
elemental power, infused into all things by
the enigmatic force of the Wind.This arcane
Potential manifests in the cardinal elements, each in
opposition, each holding dominion in its quarter.
Every Kin is empowered with Potential and
the ability to bend it to their wills. The least child
can direct dust motes, raindrops, and sparks to his whim.
The average adult can ignite a twig, snuff a candle or fill
a glass with a simple impulse. Those with deep enough
Potential can burn sails, launch boulders, and knit flesh, and
trained elementalists can tame storms, flood rivers, blast
16

A Primer on the Upwind Setting

down buildings and command stone constructs The vast majority of Kin have only trivial or minor
through will alone. access to and control over Potential. Individuals
Potential is a real and formidable force that pro- with enough potency to become great elemental-
vides those who can tap it with unique abilities. ists or Explorer Knights are exceedingly rare and
are commonly referred to as Potential Adepts.

THE KINGDOMS IN THE LIGHT

T he Kingdoms in the Light, known more
colloquially as the Realms, is a loose al-
liance of monarchies, theocracies, prin-
cipalities, republics and other sovereign nations
that have historically banded together for pur-
The result has been an inevitable migration
of intellectuals from other nations to the insti-
tutions and factories of cities like Cleft, Rim and
Highstone. This boon of intellectual and techni-
cal expertise allows Verdant to compete with
poses of trade and mutual protection. Though rival traders, offering commodities every bit as
the politics of the Kingdoms is characterized by valuable as copper ore, seasoned lumber, spices
power struggles and subterfuge, and the frequent and textiles.
infighting often leads to sanctions, embargos, The Verdani are perhaps most accurately de-
feuds and even war, the Kingdoms remain united scribed as practical, adapting to cultural changes
against their common enemy and single greatest with ease. They are quick to take advantage of
threat — the Children of the Dark. new circumstances, techniques and technolo-
The Kingdoms are scattered among the high- gies and have turned this flexibility into a potent
est of the highlands, where the Light shines the cultural asset. Verdani are also known for their
brightest and the taint of the Dark is weakest. informality, independence and deep sense of loy-
Here crops grow best, and raids by the Children alty to family, friends and crew — perhaps as a
and the incursions by other beasts of the lower source of stability in an otherwise pliable social
shadows are rare.Though many nations have es- landscape. Though usually an advantage, their in-
tablished colonies in the lower islands and mili- formality can be seen as disrespect for the tra-
tary outposts along the deeper Twilight Frontier, ditions of others and can therefore sometimes
these are dangerous places where life is harsh be a source of conflict.
and the Dark a constant threat. The Verdani are known to provide some of
The largest, most populous and most influen- the best mechanics and arcanotechnicians in the
tial of the Kingdoms include Bright, Fortress, Loft, Realms and they are particularly famous for their
Skyreach and Verdant.These nations, and a few of skilled skyship navigators and helmsmen. Many as-
their closest allies, form the central power blocs sume this is because Verdant is home to the Ex-
within the Kingdoms in the Light and have histor- plorer’s Academy and that the knowledge some-
ically held the greatest sway in the lives of the Kin. how just leaks into the surrounding countryside.

Verdant Highstone
Verdant is one of the largest of the Kingdoms in Verdant is home to one of the greatest of all
the Light and is governed by the constitutional Kin cities, the metropolis of Highstone. Over
monarchy of Her Righteous Majesty Elsa Elena 100,000 people live in the capital and its envi-
Worthies and her Parliament of Lords. Other rons. Kin from all over the Kingdoms know of
realms may lay claim to greater natural resourc- the city and every sailor, trader, politician and
es — metal ores, timber, undiscovered Masters’ scholar has visited there at one time or another.
ruins — but Verdant unequivocally holds title The city is a sprawling port of stone and ele-
to superior scholars and grander industry. The mental glass clinging to the very windward edge
scholars, scientists and engineers of Verdant of the highland. Shipyards, docks and warehous-
are the most skilled in the Realms and the best es clog the shore and what space is
universities and the most innovative guilds have left is packed with the countless
become a locus for bright and creative minds. windmills that feed the city’s in-
satiable hunger for arc.
17

Kingdoms of the Light

 ARCANOTECHNOLOGY
T echnology in Upwind is a strange syn-
thesis of lost science, baroque invention
and raw elementalism. Engineers and
technicians across the Kingdoms are creative
designers and skillful builders, but despite their
porate arcanotechnology in their constructions
— components salvaged from the ruins left be-
hind by the Masters of the Wind. The inherent
rarity of these items, such as circuit boxes and
spark bottles, makes the Guild’s expeditions into
considerable abilities there are finite limits to the Dark vital to the technological foundations
what they can construct. To go beyond these of the Kingdoms in the Light. These dangerous
limits, to build the devices and machines most salvage missions have become essential to the
critical to the lives of the Kin, they must incor- economies and infrastructure of Kin society.

ARC
E lectrical Arc is a form of Potential magic,
but it is also akin to the electrical energy
by which arcanotechnology is powered.
Arc is the lifeblood of the Kingdoms and is most
commonly generated by large mills built out over
tories, charge spark bottles and power all manner
of other smaller machines, devices and appliances.
Arc is also generated by the interaction be-
tween certain kinds of arcane devices and the
elemental force of the Wind. Perhaps the most
the edges of the highlands where the mundane important of these devices are the induction hulls
updrafts of the Wind continually turn their vanes. that buoy sky ships in the sky. Induction hulls hold
The mills generate power that is fed directly to the ships aloft as well as generate the arc needed
the grids of local settlements where it is used to to power the ships’ circuit boxes and charge any
heat homes, provide light, drive trolleys, run fac- arcanoelectrical fixtures and armaments.

TELLING TIME
I n a world without day or night, where dark-
ness comes randomly and there are no sea-
sons, sun, moon or even stars, there is no
natural way to mark the passage of time. This
conundrum is a constant challenge for govern-
Kingdoms, or even towns within a single realm,
are wild and arbitrary.
In the lands of Verdant, individual settlements
typically utilize bell towers or Wind-powered
horns to mark the passage of time, sounding
ments and industry throughout the Kingdoms at points spaced evenly throughout a repeating
in the Light. There have long been clockwork schedule. They sound five times to signify the
and arc-powered chronometers, but no prac- end of sleep, four times for the mid-work break,
tical way to synchronize them between cities, three times for dinner, two times near bedtime
much less within a fleet or across a Kingdom. and once well after most decent folk have long
As a consequence, time differences between since gone to sleep.

THE TWILIGHT FRONTIER

T he Twilight Frontier is a dark and shad-
owed realm of mystery and danger —
the frigid no-man’s-land between the
lowest Realms of the Kin and the deep territory
of the Children of the Dark. It is here that the
dren over these precious spoils. More Knights
have died charting its depths than in any other
service, and yet the expeditions continue as they
must if the Kin are to survive.
The shadows of the countless highlands drift-
Knights search for the last remaining ing overhead coalesce into a constant, shifting
caches of Masters’ technology. It gloom that veils the cold landscape. Figures in
is in the these unexplored ruins the bow of a frigate are only silhouettes as seen
that the Guild battles the Chil- from the stern, lookouts strain to spy other ves-
18

A Primer on the Upwind Setting

sels and highlands are often only darker patches even below decks chill and dank work their way
against and already black sky. Lanterns and arc into everything, including sailors’ bones.
light help and are often strung about deck or Crews rig electric heaters belowdecks but
camp. Though they allow a sailor to see what their weak warmth is little comfort in the per-
his hands are about, they attract predators and vasive chill. Wet clothes, boots and blankets are
darken the world beyond the circle of light to uncomfortable and can lead to raw rashes or
inky blackness. As a result, many crews prefer strange fungal infections. Fresh food stores spoil
to simply struggle with the dimness rather than quickly and the lack of light makes Liegemen and
allow threats to sneak up in the dark. Knights alike moody and contentious — prob-
The dark, cloudy air is always cool and damp lematic in the close quarters aboard ship.
and rain is frequent. Dense fog banks, and all the There is a constant need for vigilance in
navigational hazards they represent, are common excess of normal shipboard life. The shadowy
and the dimness only increases the danger. The world is full of predators that can silently strip a
Wind has a biting chill and drives the rain into crew member from the deck and highlands that
every face, collar and cuff. The wet gets into ev- can loom out of the dark or constant fog banks
erything and after only a couple of clocks the sails without warning. Crews are therefore always on
are heavy with moisture, the planks are slick, and alert and the constant wariness is uniquely fa-
tiguing and leaves everyone on edge.

SKYSHIPS
S kyships are beautiful, romantic, powerful
symbols of Kin culture, exemplifying the
sophistication of their own engineering
as well as its synergy with the science of the Mas-
ters. These airborne sailing vessels allow the Kin
to travel between the highlands and to delve into
the Dark in search of treasure. There are count- When interfaced with a circuit box the net-
less designs, from skiffs, cutters and barges to gal- works allows the hull to catch the arcane up-
leys, frigates and great men of war, but they all drafts of the Wind, generating both elemental
share a common element in their construction buoyancy and electrical arc. The buoyancy can
— the induction hull. be manipulated to raise and lower the hull, and
Shipwrights integrate networks of filament the arc can be siphoned off to power ship sys-
arrays, acanoelectrical capacitors, and discharge tems and charge spark bottles wired into the
collectors within the structure of skyship hulls. onboard grid.

RELICS
E xplorer Knight characters typically start
play with all the basic equipment they
need, including their Knights’ blades. Ev-
ery knight character also begins play with one
unique item of equipment called a relic, intended
Relics are often family heirlooms, or things
passed from master to apprentice or from
mentor to student. Sometimes Guild captains
decide to entrust such objects to the use of
a particular Knight who has demonstrat-
to enhance his character concept, role and ef- ed unique ability exploiting the specific item.
fectiveness within the party. Typically this device, Relics are often Masters’ artifacts, or at least
tool, weapon, talisman, artifact or other piece of composed in part of Masters’ technology and
gear is an iconic object that provides a character though they can be mundane, many are imbued
with unique capabilities, and further defines his with elemental magic.
personality, history or style.

THE EXPLORER KNIGHTS

T he Explorer Knights’ Guild is an ancient
and storied order of innately talented
and highly trained expeditioneers —
sailors, soldiers, navigators, scholars, archaeolo-
gists, arcanotechnicians and elementalists. They
The Knights have a grand reputation. Every
child wants to be one, every story of daring-do
features them, and hardly a monarch, senate or
parliament in the Kingdoms does not consult
them in its councils. Wherever they travel the
are carefully selected as children and train for masses respect them, honor them and some-
many cycles before joining Guild crews and times even fear them.
journeying deep into the Twilight Frontier in
search of lost Masters’ artifacts.

The Explorer Knights’ Pledge

To honor the Guild
I so vow
To seek the Knowledge
I so vow
To defend the Kingdoms
I so vow
To defy the Dark
I so vow

20

A Primer on the Upwind Setting

Explorer Knights’ Position in the Explorer Knights’ Guild is
denoted with Blazes of Rank and each blaze is
Headquarters earned by meeting specific goals, completing de-
manding missions, fighting successful actions and
The Explorers’ Guild Headquarters is perhaps other conduct that upholds the Knights’ Pledge.
Highstone ‘s greatest institution and it is certain- Blazes can only be bestowed by Sky Captains,
ly its most famous.Though the Explorer Knights’ and on rare occasions the High Captain himself.
Guild has bases, offices and outposts throughout
the Kingdoms, the headquarters in Highstone
is its primary holding. Home to the command
Knights’ Blades
Traditionally, the Explorer Knights’ Blade is a wide,
cadre of the Sky Captains, the headquarters is
heavy broadsword with a deep fuller. The blade
a sprawling complex of imposing stone and iron
is etched with a circuit-like tracery, reminiscent
buildings as old as any in the city.The compound
of the Explorer Knights’ heraldry, overlaying the
has its own docks and shipyard and, like all Guild
burnished, flowing, iridescent hues of the Masters’
facilities, it is a sovereign territory, politically in-
alloy underneath. The hilt, grip and pommel are
dependent from Verdant and its king.
seamless with the blade, forged of the same piece
Becoming Knights of alloy, with the Guild’s crest engraved one side of
the hilt and Knight’s name on the other.
To become Novices, hopefuls must demonstrate
unique levels of physical prowess and mental Though of similar design, each blade is cus-
fortitude. More importantly, they must demon- tom forged to the measurements, idiosyncrasies
strate exceptional ability to use Potential. They and fighting styles of each Knight so that every
must show the telltale signs that Guild training blade is as unique as the Knight who wields it.
will unleash the preternatural abilities that re- These weapons are made in a single foundry at
side in all Kin, but the magnitude and mastery Guild headquarters, by only a handful of mas-
of which separates Explorer Knights from com- ter smiths, and they all share the unmistakable
mon folk. Selected as youths and trained at the style, design features and lethality of the origi-
Explorers’ Academy, Knights undergo cycles of nal weapon. Knights’ blades are well known and
grueling academic, physical, martial and Potential easily recognized as such across the Kingdoms
training, becoming experts in their given fields, in the Light.
master elementalist and deadly soldiers.

21

Explorer Knights
 BAIT AND
SWITCH
A tale in which things are not what they seem
and wrongs may just be proven right.

BACKGROUND AND
ADVENTURE SUMMARY
B ait and Switch is a one-shot adventure
to introduce your gaming group to
the world, mechanics and themes of
Upwind. Though not every situation can be ac-
counted for, suggested plays and outcomes are
As it turns out, Margit is really just a charismat-
ic book-keeper with excellent logistics skills. Af-
ter several towns — including her own — along
the Vaulish frontier were pillaged and burned by
the mercenaries the Vaulish parliament calls its
included for each encounter to help you learn navy, Margit formed the survivors into a crew
the art of negotiating stakes and run the adven- and fled to the skies. Her own pirating began as
ture effectively. a necessity to provide food and supplies for her
In Bait and Switch, the player characters are people. Very intentionally however, she has re-
Knights of the Guild’s 5th Fleet, obligated by stricted her targets to the mercenary ships and
the Treaties of the Convocation to help police fat merchantmen belonging to the even fatter
the skies of the failing nation of Vault. Recently, members of the Vaultish government.
the region has come under siege by the pirate Pre-generated characters suitable for this
Dread Margit (pronounced Mar•geet) and her adventure are available on the Upwind down-
heavily armed frigate Hawk. The characters un- loads page of the Biohazard Games website.
dertake a clever false flag mission posing as des- Print them out, including some copies of their
perate merchants in an attempt to lure Margit descriptions, and let your players choose who
out into the open and bring her to justice. Un- they would like to play.
fortunately, in the dangerous skies of Vault not www.BiohazardGames.us
everything is as it seems and the Knights may
learn that wrongs can sometimes be right.

INTRODUCTION
T o set the stage at the
start of the game either
read the following aloud
or print out copies and have your players take
turns reading paragraphs aloud.

22

Bait and Switch

 Under a False Flag take command of the freighter Majestic, hire a crew,
Vault is a small nation wedged between the secure a tempting cargo and make sure everyone
Kingdom of Loft and the Fortress Dominion, and knows where you are headed. All this to serve as the
threatened from below by the upwind border of the bait in your own trap — a trap you are to set for
Twilight Frontier. Its rulers are weak and the popu- the notorious Dread Pirate Margit.
lace is desperate. The country’s economy has all but The Dread Pirate Margit has become the most
collapsed, corruption is rampant and bandit gangs feared bandit in the already dangerous and pi-
and local crime bosses have more influence over the rate-ridden skies of Vault. Brazenly attacking Vaultish
people than the failing parliament. As a result Vault shipping and navy vessels alike, she and her crew of
has become a haven for outlaws of all kinds, and cutthroats has been raiding with impunity along the
some of the most notorious pirates in the Realms Vaultish frontier and has reportedly taken a dozen
take refuge here when they need to go to ground. vessels in the last round alone. Her ship appears
Bound by the treaties of the Convocation, the Ex- out of nowhere, attacks without warning and van-
plorers’ Guild is obliged to provide support, expertise ishes again into the refuge of secrecy and fear she
and law enforcement at the request of the Vaultish enforces among the people of the Vaultish frontier.
government. Despite good faith effort and major ex- Your orders are to limp along, a fat and helpless
penditure of resources, the Guild has been mostly in- duck, to lure out her crew of hungry hawks. Then,
effectual as corruption and collusion undermine any using guile, brute force or whatever other means
progress it makes.Things have become so desperate present themselves, you are to capture her ship and
that two squadrons from the Guild’s 5th Fleet have crew and return her to Haven for a very public trial.
been permanently assigned to patrolling Vault. You were pleased to have been selected for this
You are members of the 5th Fleet’s 4th squadron, mission and were actually looking forward to the
known as Roland’s Raiders, and though you are of- challenge, until you set eyes on the Majestic —
ficers aboard the EGS Rival, you have recently been which, it turns out, is anything but. Given its warped
given special orders for detached service. You were planks, tattered sails, dangling rigging and rusty
instructed to make your way via supply ship to the hardware you are certain the only thing keeping this
hive of scum and villainy known as Haven — the ship in the air is the fact that it’s tied to the dock.
Vaultish capital.There you are to pose as merchants, Well, at least things can’t get any worse...

RUSE RUSE RUSE YOUR BOAT

A s Knights, the characters’ arrival would
be readily obvious to anyone in Hav-
en, and there is no doubt that word of
their presence would get back to Margit quickly.
As a result, they will need to maintain their cov-
Cache is only available to the players when their
blades are in their possession and close at hand.
The trade vessel Majestic is anything but
— she lists badly to starboard, her sails are
splotchy with sail mite infestation, the rigging is
er as down-on-their-luck merchants and either loose and tattered, the brightwork is tarnished
conceal or stow their Knights’ blades to keep or missing and many of the deck planks them-
their ruse from being discovered. selves are warped, wormy or sprung.
Take a moment to have the players describe To get the Majestic skyworthy again and un-
how they’ve hidden their Knight’s Blades. This derway, the characters need to accomplish three
should not be a play, but you may want to things: they need to make substantive repairs to
make notes as to how they’ve handled the the ship, hire a crew of able sailors to man her,
issue, as it may affect if and when any NPCs and acquire a tempting cargo while making sure
uncover the deception. word “inadvertently” gets around about said
Remember, because the Knights’ cache rep- cargo and where the Majestic is headed. Encour-
resents the awe, skill and confidence imparted age the players to discuss their ideas
by their status as Knights and the blades are and make a plan, and when they
their only badge of that office, the Knights’ seem to have agreed upon an

23

Ruse Ruse Ruse Your Boat

approach call for plays to resolve each of these will find yourself quickly running out of adven-
encounters. ture. Encourage the players to plan carefully and
Remember that the Q system plays fast, so really engage them with your descriptions and
be sure to allow for plenty of role playing in the NPCs. Haven is a desperate place where every-
lead up to, and resolution of, each play or you one has an angle and anyone can be dangerous
under the wrong circumstances.

MAJESTIC MONTAGE
W hile the players will certainly come
up with ideas for possible stakes for
a ship repair montage, feel free to of-
fer ideas to help them understand the mechanics
and to lead them through this tutorial play. There
• The Majestic is left looking like a refugee from
the scrapyard but is secretly sound and ex-
ceptionally maneuverable. The players earn a
1-card story cache that may be used when
surprise or performance are essential to the
are a couple of local chandleries and lumber yards, play.
and negotiating with sly merchants claiming there • The Majestic is fitted with some extra can-
is a parts shortage might be a good way to set up non in hidden gun ports, making her secretly a
this encounter. Assume the characters have been more formidable opponent. The players can a
issued enough money to cover only basic repairs. 1-card story cache that may be used when in
The challenge level of the play should be based any plays involving ship to ship battles.
on what the players decide they want out of it. Moderator’s stakes (1):
Use the following suggestions to guide setting
the stakes. For each positive outcome the players • The Majestic appears skyworthy and ready to
want, consider raising the challenge level and be sail, but at a dramatic moment of the modera-
sure not to give them everything — make them tor’s choosing, a major malfunction will occur
pick and choose. Additionally, as they add positive complicating the action and imposing a 1-card
stakes be sure to add additional counter-stakes. challenge cache if the function of the ship is
essential to any associated play.
Player’s stakes:
• Even cursory inspection of the ship tells any
• The Majestic is repaired and essentially sky- sailor that she is not what she seems and is,
worthy. She will not win any beauty contests in fact, far more skyworthy than she appears.
and sails a bit like a brick but she will get the
characters where they are going without fall- • The repairs take six full clocks — twice as
ing out of the sky. long as planned — and in that time word the
Dread Pirate has struck again reaches Haven.
• The Majestic is rigged for surprising speed. This gives the moderator a 1-card challenge
The players earn a 1-card story cache that cache representing the stress of the delay and
may be used when extra speed is essential its impact on the confidence of the Knights.
to the play.
Avoid stakes for either side that would pre-
• The Majestic is reinforced and armored, mak- clude the players getting the Majestic underway
ing her exceptionally durable. The players as that would end the adventure. Instead, play
earn a 1-card story cache that may be used around with complications, delays and roleplay-
when extra defenses or resisting damage are ing concerns.
essential to the play.

CREW, SAILORS OR
PIRATES... OH MY!

24
H aven was once a
busy skyport town
and there are plenty
of down-on-their-luck sailors willing to sign on
— even onto a vessel in as poor a shape as the
Majestic. Haven is also...well...a haven for would-

Bait and Switch

be pirates, and mutiny is just a tool of the trade, after all. So, it’s
less a question of can the Knights hire crew, but rather
how trustworthy that crew will be.
The local sailors hall — a guild of sorts for
skymen — is a good place to start looking
for out-of-work crew. The dingy place is un-
welcoming to foreigners and run by an officious, slow
talking little kin with ink stains on his fingers and a
big ledger tracking jobs, hires and dues. His name
is Piotr.
Player’s stakes:
• The Knights hire an able crew but they are
rough, suspicious, slow to follow orders
they do not like, and there are certainly po-
tential mutineers and actual pirates among
them.
• The crew is exceptionally skilled and
represents a 1-card story cache that can
be used whenever the skill of the crew is
part of the play.
• The crew lacks any ne’er do wells at all
and is instead made up of a honest sailors who
are just looking for work and to get out of
Haven and back into the sky.
Moderator’s stakes (2):
• The characters hire a crew but
there are shifty criminals among
them who will definitely prove
problematic at some point during
the voyage.
• Much of the crew is made up of
actual pirates and they will certain-
ly mutiny during the voyage if the
opportunity arises. In the mean-
time they will play the part of duti-
ful and hardworking sailors.
• Members of the Dread Pirate’s own
crew are aboard the Majestic and they
will conspire to aid in her eventual ambush of
the ship, imposing a 2-card challenge cache on
the Knights when that happens.
However hiring the crew turns out, the Majestic is
a small vessel and requires 25 sailors to be worked effi-
ciently.The Knights should certainly feel outnumbered
even without the threat of mutiny. Play up the salty
and dangerous nature of the crew who,
despite their intentions, are defi-
nitely not landlubbers. Use
the following list of
25
names to add verisimilitude to the nature of the the most popular male name in Vault) Piotr, Vida,
crew:Aksel, Edva, Guilbrand, Igor, Igor, Igor, Igor (it’s Aeltha,Young Thom, Old Thom and Dead Thom.

BAITING THE TRAP

A tempting target requires a valuable car-
go. There are several options available
to the players when they go looking.
Various merchants and cargo brokers are look-
ing for freighters to haul their wares, but each
ship half-empty is sure to raise suspicion
among the crew.
• Salvage — The Twilight Frontier has no short-
age of mysterious and potentially exploitable
ruins. Salvage fuels the economy of the King-
of the cargos carries different risk. If the players doms in the Light, and while an exceptional
take the time to research her past attacks they find can mean a fortune, most salvage is bulk
learn that Dread Margit has a history of taking cargo intended for marginal uses. It is easy
ships that carry exceptionally fungible cargos or, enough to haul such reclamation, but unless
more often, vessels carrying practical goods like the players do something to sweeten their
foodstuffs, tools and medical supplies. pot, there’s a chance the Dread Magrit may
Assume the Guild has provided the Knights- go after a more tempting target.
cum-merchants with enough funds to contract • Nothing — Daring players may decide to sim-
for and insure a modest cargo. If they decide to ply focus on spreading rumors of a valuable
purchase a cargo outright, they will have no money haul and opt to carry no cargo at all.While this
left for anything but the most basic ship repairs. is certainly a clever and inexpensive option, the
Possible cargoes: locals will likely take notice that nothing has
• Arc Powder — Dangerous, unstable, and in been loaded aboard the Majestic. If the play-
high demand across the Realms. Carrying this ers decide to take this tack, successfully baiting
cargo will turn the Majestic into a veritable their trap should become a 3-card challenge. If
bomb waiting for an errant cannon shot or the players think to load crates and barrels full
bolt of Arc to blow the vessel to flinders. of junk this could be reduced to a 2-card play.
Understandably, few crews like to haul Arc Play up the officiousness and sly business
powder which makes it an easy and profitable acumen of any cargo brokers the characters
cargo to find. approach. Remember these are skilled traders
• Vaultish Wine — The only luxury export from and the Knights are not, so there should be a
the failing nation, Vaultish Wine is in high de- sense among the players of being out of their
mand in other countries because of its excep- depth. Charming words, schmoozing, academic
tional qualities and that fact that the current rhetoric or even intimidation might help the
difficulties has made it increasingly scarce. It Knights navigate the bargaining process. If the
also appears to be popular with Dread Margit players seem into dealing, go ahead and make a
and her crew, as the last four freighters carry- play around the nature, quality, expense and val-
ing it were attacked. In truth, Margit and crew ue of the cargo as one of the outcomes could be
are taking the wine because they can readi- they actually make a profit — should the cargo
ly sell it on the black market and because it survive — at the end of the voyage.
most directly impacts the Vaultish parliament Once they have acquired a cargo, have the
since its members own most of the nation’s players describe how they go about spreading
vineyards. the word of their cargo. Let them organically
Unfortunately, this means that most sell- describe their process, until it reaches a point
ers are unwilling to ship it without selling where a play can be called. This should be a
it directly to the freighter captains as proof 2-card challenge (unless the players are hauling
against loss. Because of this extra expense, nothing at all) with at least one of the stakes
the knights can only afford half a being that word gets back to Dread Margit and
hold’s worth, and leaving the inspires her predatory nature.

26

Bait and Switch

 Player’s stakes: • Should they survive their mission and get
• Gossip spreads the word and the local under- their cargo to a viable market, they characters
ground is aware of the Majestic’s cargo and will actually make a tidy profit.
course. She will be attacked by pirates before Moderator’s stakes (2):
leaving Vaultish skies. • Margit learns of the Majestic’s valuable car-
• The Dread Pirate is aware of the cargo and go and will ambush the Knights, taking them
will overconfidently send only one ship from completely by surprise.This is represented by
her small fleet to take the flying junk-pile that a 1-card challenge cache that the moderator
is the Majestic. can be used during the attack.
• One of Margit’s crew is hired aboard the Ma- • Margit discovers through her spies that the
jestic and the Knights learn who the imposter unsuspecting merchants of the Majestic are
is without letting on that they know. They can agents of the Vaultish government.
later question this crewmate and potential- • One of the Dread Pirate’s agents catches a
ly earn a story cache to use in their tactics glimpse of one of the Knight’s blade and re-
against the Dread Pirate. alizes the merchants are Explorer Knights.
• Margit is convinced the Majestic is carrying Margit realizes she is now being hunted by
an exceptionally valuable cargo and will lead more capable foes and plans accordingly. The
the attack herself. Because of their ruse, the moderator has a 2-card challenge cache to
players will have a 1-card cache they can use use in any plays between the Margit’s forces
against her during that attack. and the Knights.

FORESHADOWING
W hile the characters undertake
these various tasks, the moderator
should contrive to insert a seem-
ingly unrelated moment where the characters
encounter members of Vault’s mercenary navy
torch and taking back their plunder.” Perhaps
they are sitting around the docks while their
ship is resupplied or are drinking in a skyfront
tavern. They are clearly hard-worn and profes-
sional soldiers and the encounter should leave
who are bragging about “doing what the Knights the Knight’s feeling a little embarrassed and anx-
won’t,” and “breaking up a pirate encampment” ious to stop the pirates.
or even “putting those bandit towns to the

ENDLESS SKIES
T he next several encounters are option-
al and deciding which ones to include
should depend on how long you would
like to play and the enthusiasm and interests of
your players. They can occur in any order while
the Knights are in transit towards their antici-
pated confrontation with Dread Margit and her
pirates. In each case, as preludes to the encoun-
ters, read the indicated text to the players.

ARE YOU MY MOMMY?

A s your ship breaks through a wall of
dense cloud into a startlingly blue sky a
deep groan — more a vibration really —
echoes through the cool air and into your bones.
Behind you a small hemoth — perhaps just a calf
and chasing your ship as if playing a child’s game as
well as trying to get your ship to join it in play.
Unfortunately, even a hemoth calf is more than
half the length of the Majestic. As it bumps against
the hull and rubs its back along the
— breaks from the same cloud bank and glides vessel’s keel, one of the yaw masts
inexorably towards the Majestic. It seems curious snaps, leaving the broken rigging
more than anything, groaning out long rumbling calls flapping in the Majestic’s wake.
27

Are You My Mommy?

 Well, this could become a problem… • One of the Knights uses Potential to befriend
A single calf has become separated from a small the herd which will subsequently show up at
herd of hemoths and appears to have imprinted a dramatic moment in the future narrative
on the Majestic as either a surrogate parent or to wreak havoc with any foe. This could be
just a playmate. Cavorting and playing with the worth a cache card at the moder¬ator’s dis-
ship it is unaware of the destructiveness of its ac- cretion.
tions. Encourage the players to develop solutions Moderator stakes (1):
to the situation — determining the best course • The mother attacks the ship to save her calf,
of action to both protect their ship and drive off crippling the vessel and forcing it to land on a
the unwanted attention. nearby skyland to facilitate repairs.
Not that the herd is nearby and that any calls • The moderator gains a 1-card challenge cache
of alarm or pain from the calf will bring an an- to the skyworthiness of the Majestic until it
gry mother to its defense — plunging out of can be repaired at a proper shipwright’s.
the clouds and diving to attack the ship. If the
players dither in driving off the calf, have it do • The attack is so brutal that a number of
more damage and describe the whole herd as crew¬men are killed or knocked overboard
it breaks through the nearby clouds, dwarfing equal to the numerical value of a random
the Majestic. card draw.

Player stakes : • The damage is so extensive that the Majes-

¬tic is shipwrecked on the highland and is a
• The characters drive off the calf but take a sitting duck when the Dread Pirate attacks
1-card challenge cache to ship performance sometime in the next few clocks. The tactical
due to the inadvertent damage it has caused. disadvantage grants the pirates a 2 card
• Drive off the calf with no damage to the ship. cache for any plays made as part of
• Duck into the nearby clouds before being the attack.
spied by the herd and gain a 1 card story
cache for evasive ship maneuvers.

28

Bait and Switch

 PAST GLORIES
A s you pass the bottle of surprisingly good
Vaultish wine around the wardroom table,
you fall to retelling of past Guild adventures,
lowering your voices so that the crew does not over-
hear. Talk turns to how you each earned your most
Blazes of rank are earned for significant accom-
plishments during the career of an Explorer Knight
— major acts of heroism self-sacrifice and bravery
— the first of which is always granted upon gradu-
ation from the Explorer Knights Academy. Each of
recent Blaze of Rank and inevitably the tales are told the pregenerated characters has at least two listed
again — certainly not for the first or last time. on their sheets. Ask the players to create a sto-
Some of you may be called upon to spin a yarn ry in which they were a hero and through which
about the circumstances out of which you earned your they earned their most recent blaze. Have them
most recent Blaze of Rank — tales inspired by the all make random pulls from their play decks and in
single name or phrase listed on your character sheets. descending order tell their tales to the group. Make
Take a moment, then each of you make a luck draw. sure they know that if they are not embellishing
and exaggerating the facts they are doing it wrong!

WHAT’S THIS RUMOR

ABOUT SHARES?
O ver the past couple clocks the crew has
seemed to work with extra vigor and the
lookouts appear more intent on their du-
ties. Wide grins and happy nods great you as you
walk the deck during your watches, and snatches of
their leadership or deception attributes as they
can come clean and deputize the crew or lead it
on into a piratical frenzy.
Player’s stakes:

whispered conversation reach your ears. They carry • The crew mostly believes what the Knights
words like “each man a share,” “showin’ em what’s choose to tell it and continue working with
for,” “surprise surprise” and “privateer.” As a result, it more or less enthusiasm depending on possi-
soon becomes clear that something has convinced the bilities for financial gain.
Majestic’s crew that you are yourselves looking to turn • The new circumstances make the crew stead-
pirate and lure in an unwary prize. Maybe even play fastly loyal, either out of fear of the Knights or
a little turnabout on some sky bandits themselves? the promise of a massive score.
The crew may be mangey, desperate and mur- • The crew is willing to follow any order —
derous, but they are not stupid. Some of them even a dangerous one — without question.
have likely noticed the odd “refinements” the Moderator’s stakes (1):
Knights might have made to the derelict-look-
ing Majestic. Others have noticed that the ship is • The crew believes the Knights are lying to it
light on cargo or that the crates in the hold are but plays along in hopes of turning the situa-
full of junk. Others have certainly eavesdropped tion to its advantage.
on the Knights’ conversations or seen them use • The crew feels betrayed and mutinies at its
uncommonly potent Potential. Regardless, al- first opportunity.
ready a suspicious lot, the crew has realized the • The crew somehow discovers that the char-
characters are not merchants but likely pirates acters are in fact Explorer Knights, and plays
themselves with knowledge of a big score and a along out of fear of the lawmen. If the crew
clever plan to take it — and they want in. consists of mostly honest sailors they will de-
Eventually a spokesperson for the crew will mand to be let off at the nearest port. If they
offer a vague overture, implying that for fair are piratical, they will wait until Margit attacks
shares the crew is ready to do it’s part. How the and then try to win membership
Knights react and this plays out should depend in her crew by turning on the
on role playing but could include a play as well. Knights.
This is a great opportunity for the Knights to ply
29

What’s This Rumor About Shares?

PLAN? THERE AIN’T NO PLAN
T he ship and crew settle into the routine of
watch-and-watch sailing and you begin to
make your final preparations, laying the
trap for the Dread Pirate. It is clear that Margit is a
cunning adversary and that if your attempt in Hav-
then the cargo is theirs by right of salvage. De-
pending on the disposition of the crew and the
outcome of previous plays this might be a perfect
time to stage any pending mutiny, or at least a
play using leadership, charm or oration attributes.
en to lure her into pursuit was successful then even Convincing the crew to leave the ship and sail
now she might be hunting you.You know she is dan- on is a 3-card challenge and will carry whatever
gerous, the old Majestic is certain to be outgunned, consequences result from the stakes.
and you absolutely expect your small crew to be The derelict is, of course, a trap. As the play-
outnumbered. So, exactly what sort of clever trap do ers toss grapnels, pull alongside or board using
you intend to set? the launch, pirates pour out of the hold, attack
Ask the players to articulate their plan and how, if and attempt to take the Majestic. Additionally,
appropriate, they are going to inform and involve the Hawk and her two escorts drop out of the
the crew. Where exactly are they going? How are overcast sky and ready broadsides. A towering
they going to present or sail the ship.What specific woman — one of the largest kin any of the crew
preparations are they going to make to prepare has ever seen — leans over the rail of her ship
the ship for an attack, create their own ambush and shouts at the Magestic with a voice like a
and plan a boarding action of Margit’s ship? How cannon shot and an accent like a... Vaultish pi-
are they going to deal with the clock-to-clock ten- rate. “Surrender your vessel, and if you are very
sion of waiting for something to happen? polite I may not murder your.”
Leave the plan up to the players and encour- In the moment following her odd words the
age them to be creative and be sure to roleplay Knights have two options — fight or surrender.
through some of their planning and interactions Ask the players which they choose to do and
with the crew. In the end it is likely that the play- then ask for a play. Suggestions for stakes are
ers will settle on some version of the following offered below.
options. If not, improvise as needed to get them
into the penultimate confrontation with the Wounded Bird
Dread Pirate as described below. If the players have chosen to try their own der-

Playing Dead elict deception, it’s easy to make the Majestic

look unskyworthy and vulnerable as she is half-
Following this plan the knights are slowly sail- way there already. Drifting along through the
ing a reputedly dangerous course in hopes that tradeways with broken spares and ruined rigging
their efforts to spread the word about their the crew can signal “distress” to any passing ship,
cargo worked. After several clocks they encoun- hoping to lure in the hunting pirates.
ter a derelict ship. The sails are tattered and the Fortunately — or unfortunately — their plan
vessel lists to one side, barely kept in the sky by works too well and a trio of Margit’s vessels close
its failing induction hull. Cannon damage scars and attack with broadsides, musket fire and ready
the hull and it appears as though it’s either aban- boarding parties. Ask the players how they want
doned or the crew is dead. to handle the attack. If they armed the Majestic
The crew, eager for salvage if criminals or to they can try going toe-to-toe relying more on
help if honest sailors, has already prepared to their own Potential than their crew for fire sup-
bring the Majestic onto an approach course for port. They can board the enemy vessels and beat
the derelict and are awaiting the formal order. If the individual crews into submission or they can
the order does not come they will be quick to sail some clever maneuvers in a protracted air
remind the players that the laws of the sky re- battle and fight each ship independently. The tac-
quire they lend assistance as need- tics are ultimately up to the players and sugges-
ed. If abandoned, they continue, tions for stakes are offered below.

30

Bait and Switch

Loud and Loose the players have some prisoners and, best of all, at
least one of the Knights is taken prisoner as well.
In this scenario the players sail a meandering Player’s stakes:
course stopping in every port town and facilitating
the spread of more rumors about their cargo. As • The Knights fend off the pirates who retreat.
they head towards the dubious port of Tempest, They lose (one random card pull/2) crewmem-
a lookout spots a distant vessel that more or less bers to the fighting and each Knight takes a mi-
follows at a fixed distance for several bells. nor wound.They also capture a few pirate crew.

If the Knights order the crew to turn and pur- • The Knights capture the huge woman — the
sue, the ship runs leading them into an ambush one they believe is Margit — and disable all
with two other ships as in Wounded Bird above. but one of her ships.
If the Knights ignore it, once in port a horde • The Knights capture the Hawk herself, gaining
of sailors — pirates actually — from two oth- a much better-armed and formidable vessel.
er ships and from the Margit-sympathetic town Moderator’s stakes (2):
itself, swarm the docks and attempt to take the
Majestic. Any crew who went into the town be- • The Knights win the battle but barely, each
fore the attack are likely to be taken prisoner by taking minor wounds. The pirates realize they
townspeople loyal to Margit. are fighting Knights in disguise and dive down-
wind in an attempt to escape and disappear
In all three versions of the confrontation, there into the grey clouds below.
is likely to be fighting and this should be resolved
with a play or two. Negotiate whatever you and • Half the party takes major wounds.
your players wish, but the author suggests you try • A third of the party — determined by draw-
to set up the outcomes so that Margit escapes, ing random cards from their play decks — are
subdued and taken prisoner by Margit’s crew.

INTO TO THE FRONTIER

A ssuming Margit and at least some of
her crew get away, they head straight
for their secret harbor just over the
border into the Twilight Frontier and it is a sure
bet that the players will follow in fast pursuit.
Frontier, but the pirates are aware they are
being chased and will be ready for an attack.
• The crew tracks the pirates without reveal-
ing their presence and earns a 1-card cache
for use in any play where tactical advantage
There are several likely means by which the would be a benefit.
Knights can track the fleeing pirates. It is pos- Moderator’s stakes (2):
sible that the battle is a rout and that the out-
comes allow the Majestic to keep the bandits in • The crew of the Majestic loses sight of the pi-
sight by chasing in their wake. There is a chance rates and has trouble reacquiring their wake.
that the characters successfully interrogate a They have to resort to Potential powers to
prisoner, recover a logbook or find a chart that track them down and do not reach them
leads them to Margit’s hideout. It is even more before they have retreated into the safety of
likely that one of the players comes up with a their hideout.
clever way to use one of her character’s Poten- • The Majestic and crew are unprepared for their
tial attributes to supernaturally determine the surprise foray into the Frontier and everyone
location of the hideout. Such options are limited takes a 1-card hand penalty and the boat earns a
only by the player’s imagination and your discre- 1-card challenge for the cold, dank conditions and
tion. However they want to make it happen, you lack of adequate lighting.
should call for a play to resolve the chase. • The crew is also frightened by the common
Player’s stakes: tales of doom and death that
• The crew of the Majestic is able to follow or await those foolish enough
otherwise track the pirates into the Twilight to risk the Frontier. They
become uncooperative
31

Into the Frontier

 and grant the moderator a 1-card challenge As described in the full core book text, when
cache when their abilities and dependability characters enter the Twilight Frontier their Po-
are at play. tential hand increases to 5 cards, but they take
1-card penalties to their Play hands due to the
cold and darkness.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

I f the Knights catch up to the pirates before
they reach their hideout, however they come
upon them they will be surprised to find the
bandits engaged in a running ship battle with a
large Child of the Dark dreadnought. The Chil-
Player’s stakes:
• The Child crew is distracted, occupied or
otherwise stunned long enough for the pirate
ships to escape.

dren are obviously trying to capture the fleeting • The Knights are also able to slip away and
pirates as they could easily just blow them out disappear into the surrounding storm clouds.
the sky with their superior firepower. They are • The Child vessel is so badly damaged that the
showing uncharacteristic restraint as they race crew of the Majestic gets a 1-card cache they
through the dank, dark, grey haze of squall clouds. can use in any subsequent encounters with
Whether they have the tactical advantage or the enemy ship.
the pirates — and the Children — know they are • The Knights are able to take a Child officer
there, the Knights have a choice. They can watch prisoner during the crazy exchange of Po-
the pirates be taken or perhaps destroyed, or they tential powers. The intelligence they might be
can come to their aid. As the players make this able to force from him could prove useful.
choice it is important to emphasize a couple of Moderator’s stakes (1):
things to those unfamiliar with the Upwind set-
ting. First, the Children of the Dark are the Guild’s • The Majestic and surviving pirate ships are
greatest and most dangerous enemy. Second, there all able to get away, but the Child vessel has
is no way that the Knights — even allying with their measure and one of their officers has a
the pirates — are going to be able to take on the Potential power of her own by which she can
massive warship. Their only chance is as surprise effectively track the fleeing vessels. The Chil-
attack that distracts the Children just long enough dren of the Dark are coming and somehow
to allow a fast escape into the surrounding clouds. the characters can sense this.

The best tactic is for the Knights to drop all • All the Knights take minor injuries in their
pretense of being merchants and barrage the skirmish with the Children as wild Potential
Child ship with all the Potential they can bring backlash wracks their bodies.
to bear. Options could include de-masting the • One of the Knights takes a major injury and
Child warship with rending Wind, stunning her for his next three plays involving Children the
crew with a blast of Arc, pounding the deck with player 1-card Play hand penalty to represent
torrential Rain or using Ore to deform the ves- his abject fear of them.
sel’s metal fittings — all effectively preventing the • The Majestic is so badly damaged the Knights
enemy crew from maneuvering the dreadnought. and their crew must abandon the ship and
join the pirates aboard one of their vessels.

THE DREAD PIRATE’S LAIR

S ome time ago Margit and her people
discovered a secret refuge inside a
frost-covered highland just over the
Vaultish border with the Twilight Frontier, and
this dangerous location is likely the reason the
entrance is extremely defensible, hidden be-
hind a frozen icefall and passing along a narrow
cleft of a tunnel. The winding pas-
sage — navigable by skyships
but only at the slowest speeds
navy has been unable to find her hideout. The and with masts retracted —
33

The Dread Pirate’s Lair

leads into a vast underground harbor.The place will ask to parley and ultimately surrender herself
was obviously once some kind of Master’s in- in exchange for protection for what she refers to
stillation, but one that was stripped of anything as her people. If they arrive as prisoners, it is likely
valuable ages ago by unknown scavengers. from their use of Potential and the presence of
Between the tight maneuvering and several their blades that Margit will know they are actu-
cannon emplacements bristling along the cliff ally Explorer Knights. In this case she will not so
walls it is obvious that a frontal assault would much negotiate as tell the characters that they
be suicide. will be given a ship and supplies and set free if
However the characters enter the hideout, as on their honor as Knights they take the refugees’
prisoners, by infiltration or some combination story to the Guild and bring back help.
of the two, they will quickly learn that things Margit’s tale is one of loss, sacrifice, nobility and
are not as they seemed. They will realize the se- a whole lot of luck. She was once just a book-
cret refuge is literally a refuge. While there are keeper who happened to be particularly good at
several captured ships, there are far more kin logistics. When her town was raided by the mer-
here than are needed to crew them and most cenaries the Vaultish parliament laughingly calls its
of these are certainly not pirates — elderly navy, she fled with as many survivors as she could
peasants, young children, pregnant women and muster in an old transport, much akin to the Ma-
many sick and injured. By the light of the few Arc jestic. In desperation they turned to thieving and
lamps that dimly illuminate the cavernous interi- scored big — mostly by luck — when they raided
or it is clear that the place is less a pirate hide- a commercial warehouse and stole a fast freight-
out and more a marginal refugee camp barely er in the process.
getting by on the precious supplies Margit and With the help of a few retired sailors, she
her crews are able to capture and share with turned the new ship and her refugees into a
the displaced kin. real crew and began gathering more disenfran-
As the players make this realization and you chised Vaultish. She harassed shipping and har-
describe the place, pluck at their heartstrings ried the navy — leading them on wild chases
and play up the pathos of the situation. Adult to nowhere. She brought food and medicine to
refugees looking at them with suspicion or fear. plundered villages and gave aid where she could.
Grubby, bright-eyed children looking at them Her crew, her fleet and her legend grew, and be-
with expectation and hope. People are hungry, fore long she was the Dread Pirate and a folk
cold and frightened for their lives and it quickly hero all along the Vaultish frontier. She did not
becomes obvious that they owe those lives to, hide from the authorities in the haze of fear she
and therefore love, the Dread Pirate Margit. instilled in the region, but instead sheltered un-
If the Knights have arrived as victors or infiltra- der the loyalty she has engendered in the com-
tors and therefore have the upper hand, Margit mon people. Margit has become the only shield
between them and the plundering mercenaries.

DREAD PIRATE WHO?

A n added layer to this unlikely decep-
tion is ultimately the truth about the
Dread Pirate Margit’s identity itself.
When the characters finally meet her, she is an
exceptionally large, heavy and heavily muscled
She is garishly dressed and her face is covered
in thick white makeup with orange circles defin-
ing her cheeks — all meticulously applied. She is
loud, crude, easily distracted and preternatural-
ly jolly — none of which diminish her lethality
woman with crazy flame-red hair and an enor- should the players choose to engage her. Con-
mous sword she calls “Finesse.” She is one of versing with her however, quickly reveals that
the biggest kin any of the Knights have ever seen she is not particularly clever, leading the Knights
(and that includes Domnell or Bree if anyone to realize there is no way she is the brilliant
is playing either of those pregens) strategist and tactician that has been plaguing
and is a rather ridiculous carica- the Vaultish navy and providing for the refugees
ture of a pirate queen. for almost a full cycle.
34

Bait and Switch

 Never far from the apparent Dread Pirate’s How this revelation plays out depends on the
side is a tiny, simply dressed, intense young characters. If they try to arrest the false Mar-
woman with round spectacles and ink stains on git — her real name is Cymbeline — she will
her face and hands. This is the actual Margit and continue to play the part, but Margit will even-
it turns out that she is brilliant. Quiet but keenly tually become emotionally unable to continue
observant, she is always thinking. She says little the ruse and give herself up. If the characters
but when she does speak it is always with con- decide to help the refugees, the pirate women
siderable gravitas. The clever bookkeeper cares will continue the ruse in case it proves to their
deeply for the kin under her care and is con- advantage later. The moderator should drop
stantly plotting the missions and logistics that hints as she sees fit or as the roleplaying inter-
keeps the camp and crew safe, fed and supplied. actions allow, as the moment the players realize
just what’s going both in the hideout and with
the two Margits is worth the build up.

WHAT’S NEXT?
M aybe Margit is interrogating the char-
acters in a brig surrounded by armed
guards. Maybe she is leading them
on a tour of the camp as she checks on their
charges — the people treating her like a savior.
talk about fighting, how much she loves Margit
and perhaps make advances on Domnall or Bree
if either is being played — she is a creature of
impulse and urges and has never met anyone as
large as herself before.
Maybe they are in the makeshift infirmary where However you stage it, pile Margit’s good deeds
she begs one of the characters to use some heal- on top of more good deeds and even the most
ing Potential, or maybe they are sitting around heartless players should be desperate to help her
a plank and crate table eating a meager meal when the conversations are over. The characters
of porridge, hardtack and the last bottle of the are noble Knights after all, so it shouldn’t be that
Knights’ Vaultish wine. Give the players some hard to convince them of their duty.
time to sort out what they think about the true
situation and decide what they are going to do. Ultimately, a final decision will be forcibly de-
Roleplay through these interactions. The real layed as in the midst of these deliberations the
Margit will engage the players with strategic, lo- Child warship finally catches up with the pirates
gistical or moral questions while Cymbeline will and begins its assault.

GTFO
H owever the party and pirates evaded
the Children of the Dark dreadnought,
the Children have since made repairs,
used their potential to find the hideout, or have
simply been taking their time planning the as-
firepower to bear and clog the tunnel with the
wreckage of first pirate ship that tries to escape.
Though Margit’s core crew of pirate-refugees
respond quickly by manning the docked vessels
and cannon emplacements, it is obvious as the
sault. Now however, they have chosen — with rest of the survivors begin to panic that if the
a little help from you — the most dramatic Knights don’t intervene it will be a slaughter
moment to attack the pirate refuge. Any pirate when the Children enter the cavern.
sentries might provide a moment’s warning but Tell the players that Margit looks at them with
it is the rolling cannon fire from the entrance to beseeching eyes, then runs off without a word
the flight tunnel that gets everyone’s attention. to help her people. Give the them a few short
The Children are blasting away the ice sheets moments to come up with a plan, but do not let
hiding the harbor entrance and though their ship them dither. Keep the tension high by describing
is too large to enter they are readying launches the attack and the failing defenses
and deploying troops to the highland. As soon — cannon smoke billowing into
as the ice is cleared they can bring their massive the cavern, screaming people
35

GTFO
running, ships pulling away from docks and col- tle that becomes known as “The Clash of Pi-
liding in their haste, skippers screaming orders rate Rock.” They are debriefed by the Guild’s
no one can hear and of course that one lost finest tacticians and their insights become a
child standing alone crying as people run past, new chapter in the Academy’s Manual of Sky-
too intent or frightened to stop and help. Don’t ship Stratagems and Gambits.
give the party too much time to think and press Moderator’s stakes (3):
the players for their reactions.
• The pirates are all but wiped out and most of
As the ice falls finally crashes away exposing the the refugees are killed or captured and car-
gaping entrance and the Children pour from their ried off into the Dark by the Children. The
vessel and flood up the tunnel, call for a play. This Knights survive and escape, but are in no
final climactic encounter can be resolved as one condition to mount a rescue or pursuit. They
play or as a series of two or three successive plays, must therefore live with this tragic failure for
with each set of stakes based on the narrative out- the rest of their lives.
come of the previous play. Encourage your players
to make this decision. If they choose a single play, • The Knights each take a minor wound.
it needs to be a 3-card challenge level and you • The players all draw a random card from their
should use a cache and some big cards if you have play decks and the lowest card loses. That
them. If they opt to break the scene down into a player’s character takes a mortal wound.
series of plays, husband your resources and play • One or two characters are chosen at random
whatever cards make each bid most dramatic. by similar card draws and are also subdued
Player’s stakes: and taken prisoner. Their fates are ultimately
• Enough of the refugees manage to get away left to the possibility of a sequel to this ad-
that the pirates — and the Knights — have to venture.
count it as a win. The Q system intentionally allows modera-
• The Child dreadnought is disabled by the tors to push the odds up or down — tweak or
Knights’ skilled application of Potential and fudge — the score they bid against the players.
is forced to retreat. It’s officers report to This is a feature of the system and should be
their superiors about the potent abilities of a exploited to benefit the storytelling. If you want
young band of Explorer Knights and a fearful the players to save the day, bid lower cards, don’t
reputation is born among the enemy. play a crowning card and don’t use a cache. If
you judge that a failure in this instant would al-
• Margit and her crew are so thankful and ex- low for a more satisfying session because your
hausted, they surrender without resistance to players love heartbreaking drama, hit them with
arrest and the brig. your best cards, play a cache card and crown
• The Child dreadnought is destroyed in an ac- away. Let your storytelling instincts and the na-
tinic explosion of Potential and the Knights ture of the players help you make this choice.
become famous within the Guild for the bat-

36

Bait and Switch

 AFTERMATH
R oleplay through the aftermath with
your group. If they survive and save the
refugees what do they report to their
superiors? If they choose to do so, how do they
protect Dread Margit? What do they report, or
ties of the Convocation do not allow them to
work against a member nation’s government and
this becomes a painful and heartbreaking lesson
in the corruption of power or the redemption
of doing great wrong for a greater good. These
perhaps even do, regarding the Vaultish navy? characters and their Upwind world are now
Perhaps this adventure could be the intro- yours — play on, explore and be heroes.
duction to a longer campaign where characters What to play more Upwind? Character cre-
help the 5th fleet pacify the criminal elements ation, the complete ruleset and a deep, evocative
of Vault and take down the corrupt parliament. setting await in the full core book — available soon
Maybe their Guild superiors tell them the Trea- from Biohazard Games and Nocturnal Media.

37
 The Uncharted Skies
A fragmented realm of countless islands drifting through a boundless ether.

The Light
A sourceless glow from the skies above that warms the Kingdoms of the Kin a
nd keeps the Children of the Dark at bay.

The Dark
A hidden world below — a shadowed dominion of
lethal dangers and ancient enemies.

The Wind
The potent force of elemental power
that forever blows from the Dark
towards the Light.

The Explorer Knights

A powerful cadre of scholars, warriors and
elementalists who explore the shadows,
defend the Kingdoms and defy the Dark.

The Ancient Technology

Arc-powered wonders scavenged from
the remnants of the long-vanished
Masters of the Wind.

The Twilight Frontier

The shadowed realm of ancient ruins and lost
science — the final battleground between Kin and Child.

Welcome to the Skies of Upwind

You are an Explorer Knight. You are unique in all the skylands. That’s why the Guild recruited
you. You’ve survived the Academy, honed your Potential and now wield extraordinary powers.
You have stalwart crewmates, fleets of skyships, supernatural relics and ancient technology
all at your command. Even so, can you survive your first voyage into the Twilight Frontier?
Can you survive your first encounter with the Children of the Dark? Can you protect the Kingdoms
in the Light and save civilization?

Upwind is a Tesla-punk fable - a roleplaying game powered by the narrative Q system, a stakes-based,
playing card-driven mechanic that gives every encounter consequences with meaningful, story-build-
ing outcomes. With its simple bidding rules, Upwind plays as fast as you can tell your story.

www.BiohazardGames.us